Jeddah [Saudi Arabia], : Explosive all-rounders Tim David from Australia and Romario Shepherd from West Indies were picked by Royal Challengers Bengaluru during the Indian Premier League mega auction at Jeddah on Monday.
David, who played just one match for RCB in 2021, spent three seasons with Mumbai Indians from 2022-24, where he made a name for himself as a finisher, scoring 658 runs in 37 matches, with best score of 46. In 254 T20s, he has scored 4,872 runs at an average of 29.52 and a strike rate of 159.79, with 15 fifties. His best score is 92*. He has also taken 15 wickets. He has brought by RCB for ₹3 crore.
Also, Shepherd had a small stint with MI last season, scoring 57 runs in six matches and taking a wicket. He has also played 34 ODIs and 50 T20Is for West Indies, scoring 884 runs and a wicket. Romario joins RCB at his base price of ₹1.5 crores.
Also, England all-rounder Will Jacks, who played for RCB last season, has gone with MI for ₹5.25 crores. In the last season with RCB, he scored 230 runs in eight matches, including a century and fifty and was also handy with the ball.
Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai joined Punjab Kings for ₹2.4 crores after a bidding war with Chennai Super Kings . He has played 33 ODIs and 44 T20Is for PBKS, scoring over 1,300 runs with a century and seven fifties and having taken 52 wickets.
West Indies batter Sherfane Rutherford found a home in Gujarat Titans for ₹2.6 crores despite MI jumping into the bidding war. In 28 T20Is for WI, he has scored 428 runs in 23 innings with two fifties, at an average of 25.17 and a strike rate of 143.14. In 153 T20s, he has scored 2,471 runs at an average of 23.09 and a strike rate of over 134, with 12 fifties. His best score is 78.
Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Thusara was bought by RCB for ₹1.6 crores. He has taken 24 wickets in 15 matches for Lankan Lions.
Australian pacer Spencer Johnson, known for his stint with Gujarat Titans last season in which he took four wickets in five matches, was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for ₹2.8 crores. He has played two ODIs and eight T20Is for Australia, picking all his 14 scalps in the shortest format.
Also, young explosive batters, Finn Allen from New Zealand and Dewald Brevis from South Africa did not find any buyers. England’s all-format star opener Ben Duckett also did not find any takers despite his T20I record of 315 runs in 12 matches, with a fifty. In 47 T20Is, Allen has scored 1,141 runs at an average of 24.27, with two centuries and four fifties. His strike rate is over 158.
England and Chennai Super Kings veteran Moeen Ali, was not picked up by any franchise while young Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq, famous for his recent stints with Lucknow Super Giants , did not get any bids either. In 69 T20s, Brevis has scored 1,496 runs at an average of 24.12, with a century and five fifties.
Bangladesh bowlers Mustafizur Rahman and Rishad Hosein did not find any buyers. Rahman has taken 337 wickets in 268 T20s.
The Indian Premier League 2025 mega auction from Sunday to Monday is all set to be two of the most intriguing days of this year’s cricketing calendar, with several international stars having entered the auction, records expected to be broken and the possibility of some unexpected crossovers.
A total of 574 players have been shortlisted from an initial pool of 1,574 names. These players will go under the hammer from November 24-25 in Jeddah. The list includes 208 overseas players, 12 uncapped overseas talents, and 318 uncapped Indian players.
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